India’s top rower in the world, G Sathiyan, believes his country is enjoying a golden era in table tennis and thinks things will only get better from here.
Over the last 6-7 years, India has won men’s team gold medals at the 2018 and 2022 Commonwealth Games. In Birmingham last month, Achnata Sharath Kamal won the men’s singles gold medal at the Commonwealth Games while Sathiyan took the bronze medal. India won two bronze medals at the 2018 Asian Games, while players like Sharath, Sathiyan and Manika Batra won the title on the WTT Contender Tour.
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“I think this is the golden age of Indian table tennis. We won medals in all categories, men, women, juniors, sub-juniors and even cadets. It was incredible. India is a big power in world table tennis right now,” he said at a press conference on the opening day of the 36th National Games in Jakarta, Tuesday.
The 29-year-old, who along with Sharath Kamal and Manika Batra started the medal tally on the international stage, sees great potential and potential in his next line of players.
“Over the past seven years, table tennis has evolved into a new sport. It is probably one of the most developed sports in the whole country,” said Sathiyan.
Talking about the role of the National Games in improving table tennis, Sathiyan said, “The Games gave me a good platform in 2015, to see where I am. When you’re at a multi-sport event, it’s a very different ball game. You learn a lot and they help us in big events like Commonwealth Games, Asian Games and Olympics.
“For young people, this is a great platform to test their skills and test themselves under pressure,” Sathiyan said, as quoted by the organizers on Tuesday.
Incidentally, in the last edition of the Olympics in Kerala, Sathiyan was part of the Tamil Nadu men’s team that won the gold medal. This year, Tamil Nadu failed to qualify for the eight-team tournament and he agreed the sport missed a potentially big game against hosts Gujarat.
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However, the world number 37 wants to give his best individually before heading to the World Championships in Chengdu.
“It won’t be easy here because I’m playing direct in singles. But I have two days to get used to these conditions. I will train a little and play my best in the Olympics,” he promised.
“I hope I can really have a good tournament, taste Gujarati food and enjoy here,” he added.
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